China's first sky train off assembly line

China's first sky train off assembly line
China's first sky trains comes off the assembly line in the city of Nanjing, in east China's Jiangsu province on September 10th. [Photo: CRRC]

China's first sky trains came off the assembly line in the city of Nanjing on Saturday, with China becoming the third country to master sky train technology, after Germany and Japan.

The Nanjing Puzhen Company Limited, affiliated to China's largest state-owned rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Corporation Limited (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation), took only four months to design and complete the elevated railway trains, said CRRC.

The two compartments can hold more than 200 passengers, and when compared with subways and trams, sky trains have lower costs, better climbing and turning ability, and higher wind resistance.

Professor Yue Zhaohong at the Beijing Jiaotong University said the construction period of sky trains is also much shorter than that of subways, lasting only three to five months for dozens of kilometers of rails.

The overhauled railway is driven by batteries which can run for four hours at a time, and the batteries can be changed when stopped at a station, with the whole process lasting only two minutes.

Experts said sky trains are a good choice in third and fourth tiered cities and at scenic spots.

The sky trains are to debut in China next year at a variety of scenic places.

Each carriage can carry 120 passengers as it hangs upside-down and zips long the monorail track at speeds of up to 60 km/h. On Monday, lucky reporters and officials got to experience the quiet, not bumpy ride for themselves.

Back in September, China became just the third country in the world to "master" this kind of technology, after Germany and Japan, when its first "sky train" rolled off the assembly line in Nanjing -- after they spent just 4 months designing and completing it. However, this train does have something that makes it different from the rest of the world's suspension railways -- it looks like a panda! In the future, all Chinese trains will be nicknamed "panda."

Also, it runs on lithium batteries. Making it the world's first battery-powered suspension railway. Yahoo!

Developers say that the "sky train" will be able to accommodate around 15,000 commuters each hour. Chengdu is planning two lines, one which will whisk travelers to various tourist sites around the city.

Considering that developers also say that these type of railways are cheaper, more environmentally-friendly and less time-consuming to build than traditional metros. Those lines should be done in no time.

In the meantime, see if you can catch a ride on the 1.25 kilometer trial track outside of the city.

China's first sky train off assembly line
China's first sky trains comes off the assembly line in the city of Nanjing, in east China's Jiangsu province on September 10th. [Photo: CRRC]

China's first sky trains came off the assembly line in the city of Nanjing on Saturday, with China becoming the third country to master sky train technology, after Germany and Japan.

The Nanjing Puzhen Company Limited, affiliated to China's largest state-owned rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Corporation Limited (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation), took only four months to design and complete the elevated railway trains, said CRRC.

The two compartments can hold more than 200 passengers, and when compared with subways and trams, sky trains have lower costs, better climbing and turning ability, and higher wind resistance.

Professor Yue Zhaohong at the Beijing Jiaotong University said the construction period of sky trains is also much shorter than that of subways, lasting only three to five months for dozens of kilometers of rails.

The overhauled railway is driven by batteries which can run for four hours at a time, and the batteries can be changed when stopped at a station, with the whole process lasting only two minutes.

Experts said sky trains are a good choice in third and fourth tiered cities and at scenic spots.

The sky trains are to debut in China next year at a variety of scenic places.

Very nice but one question, Why hang the vehicle in that parallel steel bar and do not run in them?

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Main reasons given include lower COST and less SPACE

Suspension lines occupy little ground area thus will not make any change to the city's current transportation system. In addition, the lines cost less money and time, which is about one-eighth to one-fifth of the cost of underground lines, and is able to be put into operation within one year.

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Following is what German "suspension trains" look like

One of differences btween Chinese sky trains and German

Also, it runs on lithium batteries, which can last for as much as 4 hours. Making it the world's first battery-powered suspension railway.

if we use it for shorten route then what happened to electronic rickshaw they get job less

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It's called becak in Indonesia, lots of them. But there's no electronic rickshaw operating in main Chinese cities AFAIK. Those who prefer taxi wouldn't bother to take "suspension trains" who run on fixed routes like metro or public buses.